Mirrors
by Rapha7
Summary: A member of the Straw Hats revives after dying, but this could break them from the crew forever. The Straw Hats must find a way to save their crew member before it's too late.
1. Prologue

3

The sound of thrumming grew louder…louder…louder…until the vibrations set his nerve endings on fire. Acute pain—that was his first memory. A blanket of white nothingness stretched before him, until his eyes hurt to look around him, and he closed them against the brilliant fury…back into the blessed darkness. Short punctuated breaths. In…out…in…out…somehow his lungs still worked…somehow. But the rest of his body…where was it? He felt heavy…heavier than he could ever remember lifting…even though his mind…his mind felt as though it were freefalling through space…with nothing to catch it.

He reached out…his hands…he still had hands…grab something…hold onto something…something had to stop the endless fall…the weightlessness…the fury of the white boundaries closing in. His fingers touched something. Hard…glassy…unforgiving. He opened his eyes and stared into a tall mirror. He could tell it was a mirror because it reflected the light…yet there were no shadows anywhere, except in the mirror… Yet where he should stand, he saw nothing…he placed his hands on the mirror. Cold. Even the bright light was cold. Everything was cold… What the hell was this? Where was he? Himself? Who was he? He couldn't remember… No…not couldn't…wouldn't remember. There was a reason. A reason he wouldn't remember…but why?

He clenched his fists and banged against the mirror. It was the only sensible thing to do. After all, the white light behind him sucked everything toward itself relentlessly, without care. It was truth…harsh bitter truth…there was not a lingering sense of love in that light. It burned with its coldness. It wasn't fear that drove him to rage against the mirror…the only faulty chink in that armor of white nothingness. No, it wasn't fear.

Rage compelled him to slam his fists and feet…feet. There were feet kicking at the impossibly infinite wall of mirror. They were attached to…his body. He couldn't stop to admire the fact that there was now a body to move about in. It wasn't the time. There was no time. Somehow he knew that. He knew that he had to break through that mirror.

Wait. Body. More strength. Surely there was more power to break through if he ran at the mirror. Stepping backwards several feet, he abruptly sprinted toward the mirror and bounced back toward the light. No freaking way. No. The light would not win. Not now. Without pause, he flung himself against the mirror until he felt dizziness capture his mind. Weakly he leaned against the mirror.

"Is this it?" He thought, closing his eyes, feeling his senses caving into the torture. His body began melting into the mirror…away from the burning, impersonal light.

SMACK!

"So, you're still alive. What a pity. I was looking forward to your funeral." The rough male voice carved out the words in the air above his head. Head, yes, this time there was a body too.

He groaned into the darkness that surrounded him, "Who are you?" He wasn't sure he wanted to reveal that he had no memories of himself just yet. His body convulsed in shaking, sweat pouring from every orifice on his body, flowing beyond his muscles, dripping onto whatever surface below him. It felt like he had just been born, weak and unable to move, dependent upon someone else to survive.

"You asshole." A sharp kick to the head clouded his brain further, and he struggled to open his eyes. The darkness seemed absolute, piercing and terrifying his confusion, yet it was not nearly as frightening as that endless burning white.

"Don't. Please. I don't know you. I don't know why you hate me. I can't even see you. Where are you?" Stretching out a hand, he reached out into the darkness.

"What the hell? You've got to be kidding me?" A thin hand grabbed his in mid-air and began crushing it in a clasp that ground their bones and skin together.

"You…know me?" Somehow, even though the words felt out of place, given his circumstances of not knowing himself and putting himself in more danger, it seemed better than the uncommunicating darkness.

A large exhale of breath whooshed over his face, and then the gravelly voice answered, "Yeah, I know you. You sorry excuse for a bastard. I can't believe you got yourself beat up like this. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I couldn't say." The concern just below the stream of insults soothed his conscience slightly. "I can't remember anything yet. Just a mirror."

Suddenly there was silence, and the rough voice whispered, "A mirror? Wait here."

"Wait! I don't know you! Who…" A heavy wooden slam answered his unvoiced question. "This is ridiculous. I just got out of there, now I am here. But I can't see anything and I don't know anything." But he could hear. The sound of running feet toward the door that the only person he had spoken to had exited. The loud and hushed voices reaching the entrance to the darkness, then slamming through it.

"You're ALIVE!" A happy-go-lucky young male voice exclaimed, laughing excitedly.

"We thought you were dead. You idiot." A female this time.

"Wait!" The prone figure on the bed spoke to the gathered people in the small wooden room, "I don't know you. I can't see you."

"WHAT?" The happy-go-lucky male shouted, and there was confusion in the other voices as well. "HE'S BLIND!"

"OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?" Shouted a nasal voice in synchronization with the energetic voice.

"I told you he didn't, didn't you hear me? Check him out, doctor." The rough male voice returned, and he felt reassured slightly.

"I see," the doctor sounded impossibly young, "You really don't see me. This is terrible!"


	2. Chapter 1

The Straw Hats gathered in the galley around the small wooden table. Sanji restlessly moved about, gathering utensils, pans, and ingredients. His usual dark suit and tie was offset by a brilliant green shirt. Robin lounged at the table, her fingers (treize fleur) tapping the table and strumming against her chin. Long tight fitting black slacks and a cropped red halter top completed her appearance. Yet, dazzling as she was, Sanji seemed more preoccupied with the matter at hand.

"So…what do you think…?" Sanji asked the others in a quiet voice.

Luffy munched on the oranges from the table display and talked around a mouth full, "Morghph foppser xif bim."

Usopp fiddled with his latest invention off the side of the table and translated, "Chopper will fix him, right?" Although Usopp's voice seemed positive, in actuality he was worried. Seriously worried.

The orange haired navigator stood up briskly and began pacing. "That's right. Chopper's doing all he can…but we need to know if there's anything we can do. Some medicine or a specialist about memory loss…"

"You know, I think there's a bigger problem." Sanji said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Nami turned to look at him, crossing her arms.

Sanji flipped the omelet in the frying pan, exchanging the finished meal for a fresh plate. "He's blind."

"But that could be temporary…besides…it's more important that his brain's not screwed up! In a fight if he…" Nami stopped speaking.

"Could the swordsman be capable of defending himself or fighting in his current state?" Robin asked taking the plate from Sanji.

Luffy swallowed his apple, core and all, "Can't we feed him sake? Then he'll be fine."

"He may not want to travel with us any longer." Sanji responded suddenly, flipping the new omelet as it started to sizzle.

"HUH?" Luffy's mouth dropped open.

"For sure, I mean, why would a stranger want to stay with us?" Usopp bolted to his feet. "This is terrible!"

"We aren't going to abandon him. He has a bounty now. But…if he can't fend for himself…what are we going to do?" Nami clasped her hands together, and then sat down before the steaming omelet Sanji placed on her table. She stared at it, her eyes focused on something far away.

The galley door opened and Chopper entered, his hooves making small clicking noises on the wooden floor. He seemed very upset.

"How's Zoro?" Luffy fell out of his chair and grabbed Chopper, "Did you fix him?"

Chopper shook his head; his eyes welling up with tears, "I don't know what to do. Memory cases are tricky. Sometimes the memories come back…and sometimes they don't."

"What about his sight?" Sanji asked placing three more steaming plates on the table.

"He seems to have experienced some kind of trauma. In that cave where we found him, did anyone notice anything strange?" Chopper sat down at the table, slowly.

"Stupid merimo, always getting lost..." Sanji cursed under his breath.

"I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary…no ancient markings or anything. He was lying there on the floor, unmoving." Robin answered.

"There weren't any animals around…but could it be some kind of poison? Poison that seeps into the mind and robs the sight?" Nami rubbed her eyes as a headache slowly grew between them.

Chopper sighed, accepting his plate, "He'll need food. He's pretty weak right now. I don't think it's poison. But I don't know what it is."

Sanji served up two plates and grabbed some mugs and utensils before disappearing out the door.

"You know…" Luffy said thoughtfully, "it'll be easier to play tricks on him now…he won't see us sneaking up on him…"

Usopp's jaw dropped open, and then he smacked Luffy upside the head, "This is serious! Luffy!"

Nami bowed her head over her plate, trying to keep the tears from escaping, "I don't know if he'll be the same now. I mean…we really need him. Who's going to protect my treasure?" Her voice moved up an octave.

"Ah…I'll do that." Luffy answered, swallowing his omelet whole, and then grabbed the others' omelets while they weren't looking. Nami buried her face in her hands.

"Hey! I was going to eat that!" Usopp tried to pry the plate away from Luffy unsuccessfully.

Robin frowned, "Maybe there's someone we can ask about this. A specialist…or some kind of legends about this kind of thing happening."

"This is the Grand Line…strange stuff always happens." Luffy answered, shoving Usopp back into his seat.

"A specialist…about memory?" Chopper sighed. "I don't know…maybe we should wait to see what happens. He might recover without help. What's the next closest island?"

"Hanabi." Robin answered.

"Maybe someone has gone to this island after that cave…they're close!" Nami bolted upright.

"Yosh! To Hanabi!" Luffy grinned. "Hey, where's Sanji? I'm still hungry!"

Nami bashed him over the head before walking out the door.

"Geez…what's her problem?" Luffy pouted, his lips pursing.

"She's worried about Zoro." Robin answered gently.

"Nah, he'll be alright. Even if he doesn't remember us, he's still my nakama. Blind, dumb, bad memory…doesn't matter…" Luffy cackled.

Usopp's mouth dropped open, "You mean, even if he wants to leave…"

"Who'd let him? I'm the Captain!" Luffy dashed out the door, "SANJI! MESHI! I'M STARVING!"

-------

Sanji stared at the weakened Zoro as he swallowed the bite of omelet, then he deftly scooped up another piece to feed to him, careful to place it directly next to his lips. Zoro chewed slowly before accepting another bite.

"This is pretty good." Zoro said suddenly, his regular piercing eyes reduced to glassy white irises and pupils.

Sanji closed his eyes, "Thank you." This Zoro seemed different than the usual belligerent guy he was used to…it was odd.

"Are you the cook then?" Zoro asked, barely having time to ask before Sanji shoved a bite into his mouth. Zoro nearly started choking before a mug was lifted to his lips to wash it down.

"That's right. And you're the swordsman. Though now…we'll have to see…" Sanji drew the mug back before he drowned Zoro in sake.

"See what?" Zoro asked, feeling the darkness surround him. He didn't feel isolated yet…not like before in the glaring light.

"Exactly. I don't know if a blind swordsman would be any good to us. Then again, since the Marines have a bounty on your head, you can't leave either." Sanji felt as if he were shoving memories down Zoro's throat instead of a rice omelet.

"A bounty? Me? Huh. Am I a bad guy then?" Zoro asked, seemingly unperturbed by the information.

"Who knows? Usually you're not easy to deal with…" Sanji sighed, scooping up another piece of omelet.

"SANJI! MESHI! I'M STARVING!" Luffy burst into the room and stopped to stare.

Zoro laid on the sick bed, propped up by pillows as Sanji handfed him. Their unusual domesticity shocked Luffy into silence. Meekly he stepped forward.

"Ah, Zoro. You'll get better soon, right?" Luffy swung his legs back and forth as he sat on a chair.

Zoro swallowed the food, then took a drink from the mug Sanji placed near his lips, then answered, "I guess?"

"Luffy." Sanji called his captain's name calmly. "Zoro still needs help eating, so I'll make a snack later."

"Huh. Everyone's so touchy. Hey, Zoro, what's it like not to see?" Luffy perched on the chair, resting his chin on the back.

Sanji glared at Luffy, "Don't bother…"

"It's not bad, actually." Zoro answered. "It's not scary, anyway. At least it's better than that other place."

"What other place?" Sanji demanded, the fork trembling in the air.

"I don't really know, but there were a lot of mirrors and light. The light was pretty hot…and it didn't feel good. I could still see then." Zoro swallowed the last bite of his omelet. Zoro drank the rest of the sake Sanji poured down his throat then fell back on his bed. "I'm feeling pretty tired now." Within moments he was fast asleep.

"Hey, Sanji…there wasn't any light in that cave. It was really dark, remember?" Luffy mentioned seriously. "Where did he go?"

Sanji frowned, "We're going to have to find out.


End file.
